Shooting Spires: Shooting Spires

The solo side project of Parts & Labor bassist B.J. Warshaw, Shooting Spires is bound to remind you a bit of his other band (and a bit of some other PC-based bedroom-pop like, say, the Russian Futurists, but bigger, louder and more aggressive). What makes Shooting Spires different is that Warshaw uses the break from his bandmates to indulge a love for muddy production, showing a Phil Spector-style disregard for the clarity of his tracks. He drowns them in layer after layer of murky distortion and electronics. What’s left is little more than a deep, guttural rumble. And yet somehow, it works. Yes, his lyrics are completely incomprehensible and most of the record fails to live up to the exceptional promise of the Bowie-inspired opener, “Right”. But that dull rumble is actually pretty powerful and what’s left of his melodies are catchy enough to the make the whole thing a thoroughly worthwhile listen.